JACKSON HOLE, WYO – A defiant llama has made Yellowstone National Park its preferred home since getting loose from an outfitter concessionaire this past summer.
Yellowstone officials say the pack animal was with a string headed for Shoshone Lake in early August when it somehow slipped free and has evaded capture ever since.
The llama is reportedly named Ike. Several tourists and park staff have reported seeing the animal, most recently near Lewis Lake just a few days ago. The llama is very wary of people and no one has yet been able to approach it.
The gang at Jackson Hole EcoTour Adventures say they have seen the llama off and on for months beginning, they thought, in late July. Their guides have put together a pretty entertaining video of different Ike sightings.
Yellowstone officials said rangers were called out periodically in August, September, and October when they get a report of a llama sighting. They haven’t put an enormous amount of resources into trying to capture the animal, saying that is the responsibility of its owner. Park reps declined at this point to name the outfitter who lost the llama. They confirmed that outfitter has been looking.
What if it can’t be secured before winter, could it survive? Not likely, said one outfitter we contacted, who preferred to remain anonymous. Llamas are often used in the West as a pack animal or herd companion for their guard behavior propensity. They can withstand cold temperatures but Yellowstone in winter is nothing the animal would be prepared for.
It is not the first time a llama on the loose has caught media attention. The nation became enthralled with a similar situation in Phoenix back in February 2015.
